to fielding the systems on time, he said, adding that
he was “hopeful” that the appropriators will come
through and deliver the funding necessary.

Bryan Clark, a senior fellow with the Center for
Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said if the funding cut by the House Appropriations Committee stands,
it could slow the program.

“They’re worried that there’s going to be a delayin being able to transition it to full procurement,”Clark said. “They’re at that critical stage where they’vedone most of the R&D [research and development]and they’re now into the stage where they’ve got finalThe problem is that Congress may not understandwhy the Marine Corps needs this capability so urgently,and if the service cannot convince lawmakers that it isso urgent, they may opt to grab money slated for theG/ATOR to use on other more pressing issues.

“The concern is that Congress doesn’t get it —doesn’t get the value of the capability — and islooking for marks to pay for other priorities,” Clarksaid. “Because what normally happens is commit-tees have things they want to fund, and then theygo searching through the proposed budget for wherethey can shave off a few dollars here and there, andusually things that get cut aren’t explained as well.”The main problem is that if Congress was to look atthe current concept of operations for the Marine Corps,it would not see how the G/ATOR fits into the service’straditional role of conducting raids and amphibiousassaults. In the near future, however, the Marines willbe focused on things like expeditionary bases, whereG/ATOR could prove quite useful.“The problem is those are kind of new ideas,” Clarksaid. “If Congress looks at the articulated requirement,they probably say, ‘I don’t get why it’s so important.’”It will be painful if Congress opts to stick with thecut, as the G/ATOR program almost certainly wouldhave to restructure, which could delay when the Corpswould be able to field the system.However, regardless of what happens in the nearfuture, G/ATOR will get here eventually. And when itdoes, the Marines will see a big boost in their radarcapabilities, Karlovich said.“This radar is meeting all the capabilities,” he said.“We have demonstrated that the radar is capable ofmeeting all of its requirements.Testing has shown that we continueto make good progress, and we’reonly in Build Two of five builds.”The radar was tested at YumaProving Grounds in Arizona, withmanufacturer Northrop Grummanconducting the engineeringevaluation.“It’s demonstrated that it’sgoing to meet its capabilities and isvery much poised to deliver on allcommitments from a capabilitiesperspective,” Karlovich said.So while there are certainly ob-stacles in the way of the G/ATORprogram, Karlovich believes it will bethe “most capable radar of its kind.”“It’s the first of its kind,” hesaid. “It’s ambient air-cooled,allowing it to be carted around thebattlefield. This thing will keeppace with the Marines. It’s anexpeditionary system.“2017 will be an exciting year,”he added.Northrop Grumman did notrespond to several requests forcomment. nU.S.MARINECORPSMarine Corps radar technicians with the Early Warning Control Crew install the arms of the Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) during a Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course exercise Sept.16, 2015, at Cannon Air Defense Complex, Yuma, Ariz. The program was expecting delivery of thefirst G/ATOR system in February, with fielding anticipated in 2018.